2020 Delhi riots case: Court rejects fresh bail pleas of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam

A Delhi court on Saturday (July 4, 2026) rejected the fresh bail applications filed by activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, accused in larger conspiracy case related to 2020 North East Delhi riots.

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Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai denied the relief to both the accused after hearing arguments on bail from both the sides.

They filed for bail after a Supreme Court bench raised objections to a coordinating bench’s order denying them bail.

Mr. Khalid and Mr. Imam were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for being among the “masterminds” of the February 2020 Delhi riots that had left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.

The Delhi Police, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor-General S.V. Raju, had earlier characterised Mr. Khalid and Mr. Imam as the “intellectual architects” of the alleged conspiracy.

The prosecution had argued that the scale of the violence, the degree of preparation involved, and the intent underlying it left “no doubt” that the conspiracy extended far beyond civil demonstrations against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019. However, the accused had maintained that they were exercising their constitutional right to protest and had no role in inciting violence.

(With PTI inputs)